Hat trick pushes Cumberland past Pikeville

PIKEVILLE – In a match that doubled as both Senior Day for four UPIKE seniors and “Find the Cure Day” for cancer victims everywhere, visiting Cumberland defeated Pikeville 6-1 on Saturday.

The Bears were outshot 33-6, but were sunk mostly by a four-goal performance by Cumberland’s Harry Mason. It was Sebastian Cortes, however who put the guests on the board first in the 11th minute when his shot from the right side of the penalty area clanged off the far post and back into the net.

Mason then needed a span of just three minutes to record a hat-trick, starting in the 22nd when he stole the ball in the box and shot low to the left corner. Mason’s next goal came in the 24th minute after Tevonne Morris found him with a lovely lobbed pass to set him up from about 10 yards out. Mason took the ball on his own just 57 seconds of game time later to seal his hat-trick.

UPIKE then took the chance to pull a goal back in the 28th minute after a foul in the Cumberland penalty box led to a penalty kick, which Mashing Johnson converted calmly.

In the second half, Cumberland coach Jeff Loucks granted his senior captain Neil Howard an opportunity to take a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, which Howard scored well to net for the first time in his four years as a starter. Mason nodded home from Eric Clark’s corner eight minutes later to end the scoring.

Senior captains Sheldon Thomas and Eric Bowling were honored at halftime, along with fellow seniors Jody Grigsby and Colin Wolper. The Bears will have another chance to get their first win this season on Friday in Asheville, N.C., against Warren Wilson College, while the Bulldogs host Shawnee State Saturday.